New Zealand leader says nation ‘fundamentally changed’ a year after mosque attacks

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday that New Zealanders have become more engaged with the Muslim community in the year since a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques.Ardern was in Christchurch attending events to mark the anniversary of last year’s March 15 massacre, which she has described as one of New Zealand’s darkest days. On Friday she attended a special joint prayer with members of both mosques that were attacked, and on Sunday she plans to attend a national memorial.Among those speaking during the prayer service was Al Noor mosque survivor Farid Ahmed, whose wife, Husna, was killed in the attacks.“Hate does not achieve any gain for the hater, or for anyone,” he said afterward. “If there are any differences, there is another way, and that way is the peaceful way. We should talk, we should dialogue, we should ask one another questions, and we should not be afraid of one another.” Advertisement Ardern said people had told her they had visited mosques for the first time in the wake of the attacks and had found themselves more openly discussing differences of faith.“A year on, I believe New Zealand and its people have fundamentally changed. I can’t see how… Read full this story

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